Conventionally, pneumatic tires that reduce rolling resistance have been proposed, in particular, in order to offer low fuel consumption for vehicles such as hybrid vehicles (HV), electric vehicles (EV), and the like. Furthermore, in recent years, as concern for the environment has grown, pneumatic tires offering a higher degree of fuel economy for such vehicles have been sought.
A method of reducing the rolling resistance of pneumatic tires is known in which air resistance in the vicinity of the tire is reduced by narrowing a total width (SW) of the pneumatic tire and making a forward projection surface area smaller (for example, see International Patent Publication No. WO2011/135774).
However, the above-described method also narrows the ground contact width as the total width of the pneumatic tire is narrowed. As such, the outer diameter (OD) must be increased in order to maintain a fixed load capacity. As a result, the ground contact length of the pneumatic tire becomes comparatively long.
Lengthening the ground contact length of the pneumatic tire greatly improves the drainage (WET performance). Conversely, narrowing the ground contact width poses a risk of decreasing the cornering force (CF), which may lead to a decrease in steering stability.